NFL 2017 Week 7 Recap

NFL 2017 Week 7 Recap

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders was the Thursday night game. These teams have hated each other since 1960, but this may have been the craziest game in the history of the franchise. It also ranked as one of the greatest, most insane finishesin NFL history. Al Davis and Lamar Hunt are gone, but this was an old-time AFL type of game where the bombs rained down and the defenses hung on for their lives. Alex Smith and Derek Carr both threw 3 touchdown passes without an interception. The Chiefs came in having lost after starting 5-0 while the Raiders had lost 4 straight after a 2-0 start. The Chiefs had beaten the Raiders 5 straight times, and a Chiefs win would effectively end the Raiders season.

This was a game of big plays, and the Chiefs moved from their 25 to a 2nd and 8 at the Oakland 35. The much-maligned Oakland defense forced Smith into a pair of incompletions. Harrison Butler nailed a 53 yard field goal to get the Chiefs on the board first. After a touchback, the Raiders struck very quickly. Their offense has been out of sync for a month, with Amari Cooper especially struggling. He exploded in this game. Carr hit Cooper for 12 yards and then went to Jared Cook for a 24 yard gain. From the Chiefs 38, Carr handed off to Marshawn Lynch, who pitched it back to Carr. The perfectly executed flea flicker saw Carr go deep to Cooper for the touchdown and a 7-3 Raiders lead.

The Chiefs came right back. On 2nd and 4 from their own 24, Kareem Hunt broke free for a 34 yard gain. On 3rd and 10 from the Oakland 42, Smith completed a pass for only 4 yards. Yet a roughing the passer penalty meant 1st and 10 from the Oakland 23. Smith hit Hunt for 13 yards and then threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce for a 10-7 Chiefs advantage. The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 4 at their own 31. Carr hit Cordarelle Patterson for 9 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Oakland 47, Carr hit Michael Crabtree for 5 yards. Carr then went deep again to Cooper, who split the defenders and raced for a 45 yard touchdown. The Raiders led 14-10 after a wild first quarter.

Oakland finally got a defensive stop as the Chiefs went 3 and out, and the Raiders moved from their 18 to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 45. However, an offensive unnecessary roughness penalty killed the drive. A great punt by Marquette King had the Chiefs pinned at their own 1 yard line. Yet the terrible Oakland secondary was as bad as ever on this night. Smith went deep to Robinson for a 33 yard gain. Two plays later Smith went bombs away to Tyreeq Hill for a 64 yard touchdown. 99 yards took only 3 plays as the Chiefs led 17-14.

The Raiders moved from their own 25 to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 43. On 3rd and 10, tempers flared. Carr gained only one yard, and then took a late hit from defender Marcus Peters. The Raiders were given an automatic first down at the Chiefs 29. Yet unfortunately, the melee after the play would hurt the Raiders before the next snap. Nobody in the league is as bizarre as Marshawn Lynch. He ran off the bench and entered the fray. Lynch was actually trying to play peacemaker and break up the fight. He did not throw any punches. However, what made things even more strange was that he was actually trying to rescue Peters from the Raiders offensive line. While Peters plays for the Chiefs, he is from Oakland and is Lynch’s cousin. So Lynch case real family over his football family. Lynch also messed up by putting his hand on an official. Lynch was in his own strange way trying to help, but the rules are what they are. Lynch was ejected from the game. Ever the strange personality, rather than leave the stadium as is customary, Lynch snuck into the stands wearing a disguise and watched much of the game with the fans. For touching the official, he was suspended one game in addition to the rest of this one.

Because of the penalty to Lynch, the Raiders had 1st and 25 instead of 1st and 10. They moved into position for Georgia Tavecchio to try a 53 yard field goal to tie the game, but the kick was blocked with 5 minutes left in the half. The Chiefs moved from their 43 to a 2nd and 3 at the Oakland 21. Hill got stopped and Smith threw incomplete. With one minutes left in the half Butler hit a 39 yard field goal for a 2014 Chiefs lead. After a touchback, Carr needed only 20 seconds to move the Raiders to a 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 31. Carr threw incomplete twice and on 3rd and 10 completed a pass to Cooper for only 4 yards. On the last play of the half, a 45 yard field goal try by Tavecchio was again no good. Rather than a 20-20 tie game, the Raiders were down by 6 points.

Rather than be deflated, the Raiders came out storming in the third quarter from their own 15. DeAndre Washington ran for an 11 yard gain and caught a pass from Carr for 10 more. Carr then went to Cooper for 12 yards to midfield. Carr went deep to Cooper and drew a defensive pass interference penalty to set up 1st and goal at the 4. On 2nd and goal Washington got in for a 21-20 Raiders lead. After a touchback, the Chiefs caught a major break. On 3rd and 12 from their own 37, Smith went deep to Wilson. The ball floated and should have been easily intercepted. Instead it bounced right off the defender’s fingers straight into Wilson’s arms, resulting in a 63 yard fluke touchdown and a 27-21 Chiefs lead.

The Raiders punted and the Chiefs soon faced 3rd and 6 at their own 30. A completion from Smith to Robinson was marked short of the sticks. Walrus Lite Andy Reid challenged the spot, and the call was reversed to a first down. On the next play Smith went deep to Hill for a 33 yard gain. The Raiders desperately needed a stop. On 2nd and 8 from the Oakland 19, Smith threw incomplete twice. Butler hit from 37 yards as the Chiefs led 30-21 after three quarters.

After a touchback, the Raiders began the fourth quarter with a pair of Carr incompletions to set up 3rd and 10 at their own 37. Carr hit cook for 13 yards and Jalen Richard for 17 more. A pass to Cooper gained 21 yards. Yet on 3rd and 6 from the Chiefs 8, Carr threw incomplete. Tavecchio hit the 26 yarder as the Raiders got to within 30-24 with 12 minutes left in regulation. The Chiefs got it back at their own 9 yard line and held the ball for 6 minutes. A field goal would al but ice the game. Yet on 3rd and 4 from the Oakland 45, Smith threw incomplete. The Chiefs punted and pinned the Raiders at their own 8 yard line with 6 minutes left in regulation. The Raiders went 3 and out when a 3rd and 5 pass g gained only 2 yards. Now the clock was a factor. With 2:46 left the Chiefs faced 3rd and 4 at their own 40. Another first down would all but kill the Raiders. Smith had not been sacked all day, but Khalil Mack and Autry got to him for an 11 yard loss. Last week the Raiders never got the ball back. This time they did at their own 15 with 2:25 left and one timeout. They had life.

Carr hit Cooper for 15 yards as the clock hit the 2 minute warning. An offensive holding penalty had the Raiders facing 2nd and 20. Carr then went deep to Cooper for a 39 yard gain to set up 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 41 with 1:14 left. Had Tavecchio made his earlier field goals the Raiders would have needed only a field goal to win. He didn’t so, it was score a touchdown or die. With 41 seconds left, the Raiders were down to their last gasp, 4th and 11. Carr fired a laser over the middle to Cook for 13 yards as the Raiders took their last timeout with 33 seconds left. A pair of incompletions meant 3rd and 10 with only 23 seconds to play. The first 59 1/2 minutes were exciting. The final 30 seconds were historic. When people say they had never seen an ending like this, they meant it.

Carr went deep to Cook, who made a circus catch and fell down across the goal line for a miracle touchdown. The Raiders went wild and the home fans exploded in joy. With 16 seconds left, the Raiders were an extra point away from a fantastic finish. However, it was not to be. Officials reviewed the call and made a reversal. Cook landed inside the one yard line and was touched before he broke the plane of the goal. This meant that the clock would actually have continued to run. Since the Raiders were out of timeouts, they were also assessed a 10 second runoff. That was the exact call that cost Detroit a win over Atlanta a few weeks earlier. A touchdown was changed to down at the one, and since Detroit had 0 timeouts left and only 8 seconds remained, the 10 seconds runoff ended the game in front of a shellshocked crowd. The 10 second runoff is because that is about the time it would take a team to run up to the line and spike the ball to stop the clock. Because 18 seconds remained when Cook hit the ground, the Raiders still had 8 seconds left. The touchdown had been taken off the board and the clock was about to start running again. However, the Raiders had a second chance.

If the Raiders had a timeout, they could have run the ball. They did not, and it also did not help that Lynch was out of the game disqualified. They had to pass. Carr snapped the ball and immediately fired to Crabtree for the touchdown with three seconds remaining. Again the Raiders and their fans erupted in joy. Again it was not to be. Crabtree was called for offensive pass interference. Both players tangled arms, and it was a tricky tack call. Yet instead of the win, the Raiders were now backed up from the one to the 10. Twice the winning touchdown had been overturned. With 3 seconds left, the Raiders seemed to be down to their final play and a third chance to win the game.

Carr fired over the middle to Cook. The throw was a little high but certainly catchable. Yet it bounced off of Cook’s fingertips out of the back of the end zone incomplete. Now the Chiefs were celebrating and the Raiders were preparing to again explain why the league and the officials hate them. The clock read double zeroes. However, this time it was the Raiders who were bailed out the officials. There was another penalty flag, and this time it was defensive holding against the Chiefs. Pass interference would have put the ball back on the one, but since it was only holding the ball was moved from the 10 to the 5. A game cannot end on a defensive penalty, so the Raiders were given one untimed down. This would be the fourth chance to win the game.

Carr fired high to the back of the end zone, and Patterson came down with it. The Raiders, celebrated, but the officials ruled that Patterson did not come down inbounds. He was pushed out, but the force out rule no longer exists. The play was ruled incomplete. The Chiefs then celebrated. Except the game was still not over. Again, their was a penalty flag, and again it was on the Chiefs for defensive holding. Pass interference would have put the ball on the one, but holding put it on the 2 yard line. Twice the Raiders had a touchdown overturned. Twice the Chiefs had a defensive stand overturned. The Raiders would get another untimed down. The craziest ending in NFL history saw the supposed final play be run 5 times. The fifth chance would be it.

Carr rolled to his left and fired a dart to the corner of the end zone. Crabtree cradled it, and his knee clearly came down inbounds with the ball past the plane of the goal. This time it was a touchdown, and on further review the touchdown counted. The Raiders and their fans again exploded in joy, and this time it counted. However, that only tied the game 30-30. Tavecchio had already missed 2 field goals, and extra points are now 33 yard tries. It was not pretty, but Tavecchio snuck it inside the upright. The Raiders had a win that had everything but John Faced waxing poetic and Bill King screaming “Holy Toledo.”

Smith finished 25 of 36 for 342 yards, but that includes the 63 yard fluke touchdown. Nevertheless, he was sensational until his final offensive snap when he was taken down. Carr was magnificent. 2 weeks after injuring his back, he threw 52 passes and completed 29 of them for 417 yards. The Chiefs at 5-2 still lead the AFC West. The Raiders at 2-5 would have been dead. Instead at 3-4 they are very much alive. It was just another heart-stopping win in the Jack Del Rio era. This was a Silver and Black win for all time and certainly the game of the year. Just win baby. 31-30 Raiders

Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns — Somebody, somewhere cared about this game. Tennessee held the ball for 11 plays and 6 1/2 minutes and Ryan Succop hit a 43 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Titans.In the second quarter the Browns recovered a fumble. Gonzalez hit a 31 yard field goal for a 3-3 game that was every bit as dull as expected. The Titans moved 70 yards in 14 plays and 7 minutes, settling for a 23 yard Succop field goal. The Titans led 6-3 at recess, and league rules prevented the second half from being canceled. In the third quarter the Browns moved 70 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Gonzalez hit from 47 for a 6-6 game. Succop began the fourth quarter with a 46 yard field goal to make it 9-6 Titans. With 12 1/2 minutes left and the Browns facing 4th and 3 at the Titans 37, Hue Jackson decided to go for it rather than try a 55 yard field goal. Cody Kessler threw deep incomplete. With 8:45 to play Succop missed from 53. With 6 1/2 minutes left Kevin Byerd intercepted Kessler for the third time on the day. With 47 seconds left, Gonzalez drilled a 54 yard field goal for a 9-9 tie. If ever a game did not deserve overtime, this was it. The Browns punted twice and Tennessee began their second possession just past midfield. With 2 minutes left in overtime, Succop hit from 47 to keep the Browns winless. 12-9 Titans, OT

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts — Don’t look now, but the Jaguars are above the .500 mark. The Andrew Luckless Colts are horrendous, and Jacksonville took advantage early. A 12 play, 75 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive culminated in Chris Ivory running it in from one yard out to make it 7-0 Jaguars. Jacksonville got it back and quickly moved 70 yards. Blake Bortles hit Mercedes Lewis for a 5 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Jaguars advantage. In the second quarter the Jaguars moved 67 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. Josh Lambo hit a 42 yard field goal to make it 17-0 Jaguars. Jacksonville got it back and Bortles went to Hurns, who shook terrible attempts at tackles for a 50 yard gain. Lambo hit from 33 to make it 20-0 Jaguars as Chuck Pagano wondered why he didn’t take early retirement. The anticlimactic second half continued for the Colts misery. The Jaguars moved 91 yards and TJ Yeldon shook off an earlier fumble to run for a 58 yard third quarter touchdown to complete the blowout. Doug Marrone has a real football team and Captain Grumpy Tom Coughlin was so pleased he almost smiled. 27-0 Jaguars

Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings The first half belonged to the field goal kickers. Justin Tucker hit from 48 yards out to put the Ravens on the board first. Kai Forbath answered from 52 for a 3-3 game. In the second quarter Forbath hit from 51 and Tucker blasted one from 57 for a 6-6 tie. Minnesota moved 60 yards in 15 plays and 7 minutes and Forbath hit from 43 to make it 9-6 Vikings at the half. In the third quarter Forbath again hit from 43 for a 12-6 Vikings lead. A 19 yard punt return had the Vikings taking over at the Baltimore 45. Murray ran for a 29 yard touchdown. Finally the end zone was cracked but the extra point doinked off the upright no good as the Vikings led 18-6. Tucker hit a 47 yard field goal to get Baltimore within 18-9. In the fourth quarter Forbath hit his fifth and sixth field goals from 34 and 32 as the Vikings won Mike Zimmer-style with suffocating defense. Baltimore finally reached the end zone with a garbage touchdown on the final play to make the score seem closer than it really was. 24-16 Vikings

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins — The Jets are not as bad as advertised while the Dolphins somehow got a road win last week despite long stretches of listless offense. The Jets dominated the earlier game and now sought a season sweep. The Jets moved 75 yards and Josh McCown hit Jermaine Kearse for a 29 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Jets. The Dolphins responded 75 yards and Jay cutler hit Landry for a 4 yard score and a 7-7 game. The Jets came back 75 yards again as neither team showed interest in defense. McCown hit Anderson for an 18 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Jets. In the second quarter the Dolphins moved 70 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Cutler hit Anthony Fasano for a 4 yard touchdown and a 14-14 game.

Late in the half from his own 7, Cutler had a pass tipped in the air and intercepted. The Jets took over at the Miami one yard line and McCown snuck in for a 21-14 Jets lead. Cutler took a shot to the chest and left the game. The Jets took over at the Miami 45. On 3rd and 9 from the Miami 10, McCown hit Austin Sefarian-Jenkins in the back of the end zone for a touchdown and a 28-14 Jets lead. An 11 yard punt return had the Dolphins taking over at the Jets 42. On 3rd and 7 from the 28, Matt Moore went deep to Kenny Stills for a touchdown to get the Dolphins within 28-21 with 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. The Dolphins soon got it back at their own 46. On 3rd and 10 from just past midfield, Moore hit Landry for 17 yards and went deep to Landry again for a 29 yard gain. Moore threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills for a 28-28 tie with 6 1/2 minutes left.

The Jets took over at their own 15 with 47 seconds left in regulation. All they had to do was not make a spectacular mistake. McCown was quickly intercepted, setting the Dolphins up at the Jets 27. Cody Parker came in with 26 seconds left for the 39 yard try to win it. The kick was good. J-E-T-S, just end the season. Meanwhile, even if Cutler is ready to return, the team may wish to stick with Moore. 31-28 Dolphins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills — The first quarter belonged to the field goal kickers. Murray hit from 50 for the Buccaneers. Steve Hauschka answered from 25 to tie the game and Murray also hit from 25 to make it 6-3 Buccaneers. In the second quarter there was finally an end zone sighting. The Bills moved 78 yards in 12 plays and 6 minutes. LeSean Shady McCoy got the last yard for a 10-6 Bills lead. An interception of Jameis Winston gave the Bills the ball at the tampa Bay 26 with 23 seconds left in the half. With 11 seconds left in the half the Bills had 2nd and 2 at the 18 without a timeout. A 36 yard field goal was easily doable. Instead Tyrod Taylor threw a 2 yard pass in the field of the play as the clock ran out. The Bills have not made the playoffs since 1999, which is when the West Coast Offense stopped being revolutionary.

The Bills shook off the blunder in the third quarter, moving 75 yards. Taylor hit Thomas for a 22 yard touchdown to make it 17-6 Bills. The Bucs came back 75 yards as Winston hit Howard for a 7 yard touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 17-13. Early in the fourth quarter Hauschka hit from 52 to make it 20-13 Bills. Yet the usually tough Bills defense could not get a stop on the next series. On 3rd and 12 form the Tampa Bay 42, Winston hit Chris Brate for 13 and then went deep to OJ Howard for a 33 yard touchdown to tie the game 20-20 with 10 minutes left in the game.

With 9 1/2 minutes left, McCoy fumbled and the Buccaneers took over at their own 46. On 3rd and 6 from the Buffalo 24, Winston hit Brate for 7. On 3rd and 10 from the Buffalo 17, the Bills jumped offsides. Winston then hit Mike Evans for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 27-20 Buccaneers with 3:20 to play. After a touchback, Buffalo responded right away. Taylor went deep to Thompson for a 44 yard gain with 15 more tacked on for a horse collar tackle. McCoy atoned for his fumble by running for a 7 yard touchdown and a 27-27 game with 2 1/2 minutes left. On the next play from scrimmage after a touchback, it was the Buccaneers who blundered. A short pass by Winston was fumbled by Humphries, setting up the Bills at the Tampa Bay 33. On 3rd and 8 Taylor hit Jones for 11 yards. With 18 seconds left, Haushka came in for the 30 yarder to win it. The kick was good as the Bills are now a 4-2 team under Sean McDermott. 30-27 Bills

Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears — Mitchell Trubisky won hit first NFL game last week. Early on it was Cam Newton moving the Panthers from their 25 to the Chicago 24. Newton out of the shotgun then pitched the ball. The pitch was fumbled, and Eddie Jackson returned it 75 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 7-0 Bears lead. On the first play of the second quarter, Conor Barth had a 52 yard field goal try blocked. It didn’t matter. Jackson struck again, intercepting a deflected pass and returning it for another 75 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Bears lead. The Panthers finally got on the board with a 36 yard Graham Gano field goal. Trubisky then then went deep to Cohen for a 70 yard gain. Yet on 2nd and goal at the one, Howard lost a yard. On 3rd and goal at the 2, a touchdown run by Trubisky was reversed to a one yard gain. John Fox likes to run the ball, but he had seen enough. On 4th and goal at the one he played it safe. Barth hit from 19 to close out the half. John Fox likes to run the ball and play defense. He happily took the Bears back to the stone age in a scoreless second half. The difference between a 3-3 game was 2 defensive touchdowns by Eddie Jackson. That has the Bears with consecutive wins and trending upwards with the ugly but beautiful win. 17-3 Bears

New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers — Aaron Rodgers is done for the year with an injured collarbone, but Brett is available. No, not Favre. Hundley. Pass-happy Mike McCarthy had to go to the running game, and a 75 yard drive was capped off with Jones running for a 46 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Packers. In the second quarter the Saints moved 53 yards. Mark Ingram ran for a 12 yard touchdown and a 7-7 ballgame. The Packers came back 75 yards and Hundley ran for a 14 yard touchdown. He endeared himself to the hometown faithful by slamming into defenders at the one and getting into the end zone and doing the Lambeau Leap.

In the third quarter the Saints moved 59 yards. Drew Brees hit Coleman for a 22 yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked as the Saints trailed 14-13. New Orleans got it back and moved 74 yards in 10 plays. Will Lutz hit from 28 to make it 16-14 Saints. The fourth quarter began with Crosby hitting from 46 to make it 17-16 Packers. Lutz responded from 44 to make it 19-17 Saints with 11 minutes left in regulation. The Saints got it back at their own 45 with 8 1/2 minutes left. From midfield, Ingram ran for 23 yards with a horsecollar tackle adding 15 more. On 3rd and 2 at the 5, Brees hit Ingram for 3. On 3rd and goal at the one, Brees snuck in to give the Saints a 9 point cushion with 5 minutes left. Hundley went deep and was quickly intercepted. The Saints remained above .500 for Sean Payton while the Packers could be in very deep trouble. 26-17 Saints

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams in London. The Rams are progressing and the Cardinals are going in the other direction. Early on the Rams moved 73 yards in 14 plays and 6 minutes. Greg Zuerlein hit a 23 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Rams. In the second quarter Zuerlein hit from 33 for a 6-0 Rams lead. With 6 minutes left in the half, Palmer was intercepted on a deep ball and injured on the play. Joyner returned the interception 29 yards to the Arizona 18. One play later Gurley went straight up the middle for a touchdown to make it 13-0 Rams. Drew Stanton came replaced Palmer.

The Rams got it back and soon faced 3rd and 9 at their own 13 with 1:53 left in the half. A neutral zone infraction made it 3rd and 4. Goff then hit Woods for 15 yards and Gurley for 35 more. On 3rd and 3 from the Arizona 25, Goff hit Cooper Kupp for 16 yards. On the next play Goff took it himself for the 9 yard touchdown and a 20-0 Rams lead with only 41 seconds left in the half. One play later Stanton was intercepted, setting up the Rams at the Arizona 28. Zuerlein drilled a 53 yard field goal to make it 23-0 Rams at the intermission. The second half was a formality. Zuerlein connected again from 34 in the third quarter for a 26-0 Rams mauling. In the fourth quarter the Rams had a staggering 16 play, 80 yard drive that consumed almost 10 1/2 minutes off the clock. Goff hit Cooper Kupp for one final touchdown to complete the shutout. The Rams are for real and the Cardinals are a real mess. Bruce Arians said after the game that Palmer had a broken arm and would miss 8 weeks. 33-0 Rams

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers — The Steelers moved 75 yards in 5 1/2 minutes. Ben Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown for a 7 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Steelers. The Bengals came back 53 yards and Red Rifle Andy Dalton hit Brandon LaFell for a 6 yard touchdown and a 7-7 tie. In the second quarter the Steelers came back 75 yards. Roetholisberger found a wide open Juju Smith-Schuster for a 31 yard touchdown and a 14-7 Steelers lead. The Bengals came back 75 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Dalton hit Kroft for a one yard touchdown and a 14-14 game. After that, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell took over.

The Steelers went 75 yards in 12 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. However, they bogged down inside the 5 yard line. Boswell hit a 22 yard field goal to make it 17-14 Steelers. The Steelers got it back at their own 23 with 90 seconds left in the half. A 34 yard defensive pass interference call meant 1st and goal at the 5 with 16 seconds left. With 12 seconds left, the Steelers still had one timeout left. So Mike Tomlin called a run and LeVeon Bell was tackled with 8 seconds left. Despite screaming for a timeout, officials did not stop the clock until 3 seconds remained. An angry Tomlin argued unsuccessfully for more time to be added back to the clock so the Steelers could run another offensive play. The Steelers settled for a 24 yard Boswell kick to lead 20-14 at halftime. In the third quarter the Steelers went 54 yards in 11 plays and 6 minutes. Boswell hit from 41 to make it 23-14 Steelers. An interception of Dalton led to Boswell hitting his fourth field goal for a 26-14 Steelers advantage. Later on a perfectly executed fake punt called by Mike Tomlin led to Boswell hitting his fifth field goal to end things. 29-14 Steelers

Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers — 25 years ago these teams played for everything. They honored tradition by playing for almost nothing as the underachieving Cowboys took on the winless Santa Clara 49ers of San Francisco. The 49ers fumbled a punt, giving the Cowboys the ball at the Frisco 20. Ezekiel Elliott still has not been suspended, and he ran for 14 yards, 5 more, and then the last yard to make it 7-0 Cowboys. The Cowboys got it back at their own 26. On 3rd and 7 from their own 42, Das Prescott threw incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference meant 17 more yards and a first down. Elliott ran for a 25 yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Cowboys. The 49ers did get a 42 yard field goal from Robbie Gould, but in the second quarter Dallas struck again. A 12 play, 86 yard, 5 minute drive culminated in Prescott finding Jason Witten in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Dan Bailey was injured during the game, so Dallas went for 2 rather than try an extra point. The attempt failed but the Cowboys led 20-3.

On Dallas’s first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, a short pass from Prescott to Elliott went for a 72 yard touchdown. With a backup trying extra points, the kick doinked off the upright and was good as the cowboys led 27-3. The Cowboys got it back and moved 80 yards in 13 plays, taking nearly 8 minutes to do it. Prescott got the last 2 yards. Despite another missed extra point, the Cowboys were winning a laugher 33-3. On the last play of the third quarter Beatherd was sacked and fumbled. The Cowboys began the fourth quarter at the Frisco 29. On 3rd and goal at the 2, Prescott fired to Dez Bryant in the back of the end zone. Bryant caught it with one hand between two defenders and somehow came down with it for a 40-3 Cowboys lead. The only thing that would have made this game exciting would have been had George Teague decked Terrell Owens again. They both are retired, and so is the season for the winless 49ers. They did get one garbage touchdown in a garbage season. 40-10 Cowboys

Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants — In the first quarter the Seahawks had a 9 minute drive. On the first play of the second quarter, they faced 4th and goal at the one. Pete Carroll decided to go for it. Russell Wilson went to Jimmy Graham, but Eli Apple ripped the ball out at the last moment for an incompletion and a Big Blue goal line stand. The Seahawks got it back at their own 41 and Thomas Rawld immediately fumbled. Landon Collins returned the fumble 32 yards to the Seattle 17. Eli Manning hit Evan Engram for a 5 yard touchdown as the Giants led 7-0. With one minute left in the half the Seahawks faced 3rd and 10 at the giants 27. A touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Tyler Lockett was nullified by offensive pass interference. On 3rd and 20 Wilson found McKissick for 16. Blair Walsh hit a 39 yard field goal as the Seahawks trailed 7-3 at halftime.

Midway through the third quarter, the Seahawks took over at their own 41. A short completion from Wilson to Graham went for 29 yards. A deep ball to Richardson went for 23 yards. Yet on 1st and goal at the 7, unnecessary roughness pushed the Seahawks back. On 2nd and goal from the 22, Wilson went deep to Doug Baldwin for the touchdown and the 10-7 Seahawks lead. The fourth quarter began with Alex Rosas trying a 47 yard field goal to tie the game. The kick was no good. With 10 minutes left from the Giants 41, Manning was sacked and fumbled. The Seahawks took over at the Giants 38. One play later, Pete Carroll went to the bag of tricks. Wilson pitched it to McKissic, who pitched it back to Wilson. The perfectly executed flea flicker saw Wilson go deep to Richardson. Landon Collins insisted he intercepted it, leading some to scream Fail Mary II. This was a touchdown, and the Seahawks led 17-7. Midway through the fourth quarter the Seahawks took over at midfield. Wilson took 6 minutes off the clock and threw a one yard touchdown to Graham to put the game away. 24-7 Seahawks

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers — In the first quarter the Chargers quickly got to 1st and goal at the one. Melvin Gordon got it 3 straight times, and got stopped 3 straight times. Anthony Lynn went for it. Gordon got it a 4th straight time and was stopped a 4th straight time. The heroic goal line stand effort by the defense was wasted by the offense and special teams as Travis Benjamin returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Chargers lead. In the second quarter the Chargers moved 65 yards in 6 minutes. Rovers hit Ekeler for a one yard touchdown to make it 14-0 Chargers. The defense clamped down in the second half. Late in the game the Chargers moved 92 yards in 10 plays and 7 minutes. Rivers found Travis Benjamin, who evaded everyone for a 42 yard touchdown to put the game on ice. 25 years after the Chargers started 0-4 and made the playoffs, they are now 3-4 and very much alive. Meanwhile, the once solid Broncos are now struggling. 21-0 Broncos

Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots is the Sunday night game. The Super Bowl rematch gave the Falcons a chance to atone for the biggest choke job not involving Hillary Clinton. The Falcons also blew a 17-0 halftime lead last week at home. They also blew a 17-0 halftime lead at home in the NFC Title Game five years ago. In this game they moved from their own 29 to a 1st and 10 at the New England 19. That included a 9 yard scramble by Matt Ryan on 4th and 7 from the New England 48. Yet Dan Quinn’s gutsy call went for naught. A run went nowhere, Matt Ryan threw incomplete twice, and Matt Bryant’s 37 yard field goal try was blocked.

The second quarter began with the Patriots facing 3rd and 16 at their own 20. Tom Brady went to Chris Hogan for 25 yards and Dion Lewis gained 25 more. From the Atlanta 31, Brady went deep and was intercepted in the end zone. However, a questionable roughing the passer penalty kept the Patriots going. Brady hit Brandon Cooks for an 11 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Patriots. In the second quarter the Patriots moved from their own 26 to a 1st and 10 at the Atlanta 11. On 3rd and 9 Brady threw incomplete. Stephen Gostkowski hit the 28 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Patriots. At the 2 minute warning, the Falcons again decided to go for it on 4th and 6 at the Patriots 47 yard line. The gamble backfired when Ryan threw incomplete. Brady did what he does. From the Atlanta 29, he hit Cooks for 18 yard. With 22 seconds left in the half, Brady threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to White to make it 17-0 Patriots at halftime.

Atlanta’s misery continued in the third quarter. They moved from their 28 to a 2nd and 7 at the New England 17. Ryan threw incomplete and Bryant’s 36 yard field goal doinked off the upright no good. The Patriots moved from their 26 to a 3rd and goal at the one, taking up 6 minutes. Mike Gillislee got the carry and lost 2 yards. Gostkowski hit from 21 to make it 20-0 Patriots with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. The Falcons moved from their 24 to a 3rd and goal at the one as the fourth quarter began. An incompletion set up 4th and goal at the one. The Falcons went for it and a lateral running play was blown up in the backfield for a 4 yard loss. The Patriots drove 74 yards in 10 plays and 5 minutes. Gostkowski hit from 38 to make it 23-0 Patriots.

The Falcons moved 88 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes. With 4 minutes left a pass to the end zone appeared to be intercepted by Malcolm Butler. Yet Julio Jones ripped it out of Butler’s hands for the one yard touchdown to avoid the shutout. The onside kick failed. On 3rd and 1 from the Atlanta 40, both teams took their final timeout. Brady snuck for the first down as the Patriots ran out the clock. 23-7 Patriots

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles was the Monday night game. Early on this was a battle in the trenches. Rose hit a 27 yard field goal for the Redskins in the first quarter. Elliott answered from 50 yards out in the second quarter for a 3-3 game. The offenses then finally got going. The Redskins moved 81 yards and Kirk Cousins hit Thompson for a 7 yard touchdown and a 10-3 lead. The Eagles had been bottled up all game, but Carson Wentz launched a bottle rocket to Hollins for a 64 yard touchdown and a 10-10 game. The Eagles got it back at their own 20 with 1:52 left in the half. Wentz ran for 11 yards and then went deep to zac hertz for a 46 yard gain. On 3rd and 3 from the Washtington 11, Wentz through incomplete but defensive pass interference put the ball on the one. After a run lost 3 yards, Wentz hit Ertz for a 4 yard touchdown as the Eagles took a 17-10 lead into the locker rooms.

The Eagles kept rolling in the third quarter, moving 81 yards in 10 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. On 3rd and 3 from the Washington 48, Wants ran around the end for a 21 yard gain and then hit Ertz for 21 more yards. On 3rd and goal at the 9, Wentz went to Clement for the touchdown to make it 24-10 Eagles.

The Redskins would take over after a punt at their own 48. On 3rd and 11 from the Philly 25, Cousins found Reed for 20 and then again for the 5 yard touchdown to get the Redskins within 24-17.

In the fourth quarter the Eagles moved 75 yards as Wentz hit Nelson Agholor for a 10 yard touchdown and a 31-17 Eagles lead with 11 minutes left.

After a touchback disaster struck Washington on 3rd and 6 from their own 39. The Eagles took over at the Washington 26 and Elliott hit the 42 yard field goal with 6 1/2 minutes left.

The Redskins did get one more touchdown while the Eagles missed a field goal long after the suspense was over. Doug Pederson has a 6-1 football team that is getting quality wins and team football. 34-24 Eagles

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 22nd, 2017 at 4:28 pm and is filed under SPORTS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.